News

In partnership with Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), Ancient Faith Radio is bringing back the paperback edition of the Orthodox Study Bible New Testament and Psalms. This Bible, which has been out of print for two years, is in high demand among those who prefer a more affordable Orthodox Study Bible and those who serve America's prison population, because the majority of state and federal prisons will not allow inmates to have hardback books/Bibles.

"Recently, OCPM was only able to send 231 Bibles to those in prison because we were out of stock, yet our demand was much greater" said Chaplain Patrick Tutella, Executive Director of OCPM.

On Saturday May 3, 2014, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan of Buenos Aires and all Argentina, Patriarchal Vicar for the Archdiocese, visited St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Hunt Valley, MD. Deacon Michael Bishop filed a report and a photo gallery to commemorate the eventful day.

When I first received an invitation to meet Metropolitan Silouan, I did not act because of the traveling requirement. Then I heard that he was coming to St. Mary's Orthodox Church, which is a manageable distance from where I live.

When I arrived at the church and went in the Altar, I was immediately introduced to His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, whom I found to be a very warm and friendly hierarch. My first impression was that he was the bishop's deacon, especially since I saw Bishop Nicholas there and I did not know that another bishop was also coming. Subdeacon Basil also had the same impression and the three of us had a laugh over this when he told us later....I'm pointing this out because many of our bishops are models of humility. They are very approachable and real spiritual fathers. Both the metropolitan and the bishop were very friendly.

On April 26-27, 2014, St. George Cathedral of Coral Gables, Florida, welcomed the Patriarchal Vicar His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan for the Blessed Feast Day of St. George, the patron of the community.

His Eminence arrived at Miami International Airport late on Friday night, April 25th, and was welcomed by Fr. Saba, Archdeacon David, and a dozen members of the Parish Council and community. After exchanging greetings at the airport, all enjoyed a nice dinner and a warm conversation at a nearby restaurant.

On Saturday April 26th, the bells rang in jubilation at the arrival of our beloved Patriarchal Vicar along with His Grace Bishop Antoun. The Cathedral was beautifully adorned in red and white satin streams and multi-colored flowers in reverence of this momentous and historic occasion.

On the Feast of the Holy Greatmartyr George, Bright Wednesday, April 23rd, The Most Rev. Metropolitan Silouan of Buenos Aires and all Argentina and Patriarchal Vicar for our Archdiocese of North America, visited the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (DOWAMA) for the patronal feast of our Diocesan Cathedral of St. George, and to bless DOWAMA's newly-acquired St. Silouan Monastery House.

Upon His Eminence's arrival to Wichita (straight from Buenos Aires!) he was feted at a luncheon hosted at the Wichita Chancery and attended by the priests and deacons of Wichita's three parishes: St. George Cathedral, St. Mary Church, and St. Michael Church. A large number of clergy and laity were at the Cathedral to receive His Eminence when he arrived for Paschal Vespers that evening. They were moved by his homily following the service and enchanted by his remarks and the open dialogue that he encouraged during a paschal repast in the Cathedral's fellowship hall.

Together with our Orthodox brethren, Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry reflects on the legacy of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip. He was instrumental in the development and growth of OCPM and has always been close to our hearts.

When OCPM Founder Fr Duane Pederson was ordained into the Orthodox Church in 1991, he had already been active in prison ministry for more than 25 years. It was with the blessing of Metropolitan Philip that Fr Duane continued to work in prison ministry after his ordination. "Usually you're ordained to an altar, to a parish," said Fr Duane. Yet His Eminence ordained Fr Duane to continue ministering to people in prison and on the streets. "His Eminence had the foresight to step out and include the incarcerated as part of the Church."

It was with Metropolitan Philip's blessing that men in prison were catechized. The Virginia H. Farah Foundation played a timely role by funding the costs of Orthodox books and icon cards that were sent into prisons. As a result, said Fr Duane, "All these prisoners started to become Orthodox. We began to find cradle Orthodox who had been hiding in the prisons as well."

Seeing that there were men in prison who wanted to be received into the Church, Metropolitan Philip gave Fr Duane a parish-one without walls-and named it Holy Apostle Silas. He gave Fr Duane an antimins (a consecrated altar cloth necessary for celebrating the Eucharist) to use when celebrating the liturgy in prisons. With his new parish Fr Duane was able to baptize men in prison. "His Eminence was willing to care for those who had no parish," said Fr Duane.

On April 5, 2014, His Grace Bishop Nicholas, representing the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, participated in receiving the newly-elected Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church. His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II (Syriac for His Holiness Kyrios Kyrios Ignatius Aphrem II) was received at St. Mark's Syriac Orthodox Cathedral in Teaneck, NJ by a multitude of Orthodox hierarchs from all jurisdictions.

His Holiness was elected Patriarch and Supreme Primate of Antioch and All the East for the Syrian Orthodox Church soon after the funeral and burial of his predecessor, His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. Bishop Nicholas spoke on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch John X and Metropolitan Silouan, conveying their congratulations to the Syrian Orthodox Church for His Holiness’ election. They offered their prayers for the Patriarch, for the difficult job ahead of him to help rebuild Syria and rebuild the Christian Community in Syria, as he prepares to move back to Damascus.

Christopher Holwey, chairman of the Department of Sacred Music for the Antiochian Archdiocese, recently announced that choir directors and youth workers may now access Teen Choir Manuals on the department's web page. Sacred Music Institute Instructors Regina Roum and Elizabeth Beck, experienced music educators, have aggregated their methods and materials used in training young musicians in these manuals. Instructions, exercises, and musical examples, allow parish choir directors to implement the successful archdiocese-wide program in their own communities.

"We have already put together similar manuals for our younger children. Now, on behalf of the Sacred Music Department, we commend the work of Regina and Elizabeth in this Teen Music Manual, and pray that God will bless its use throughout our Archdiocese and beyond, to inspire many more teens to sing the praises of our God who has given us this life," notes Chris Holwey.

Registration is officially opened for the Fellowship of St. John the Divine's Spring Young Adult Retreat! Registration includes meals, lodging at the Cenacle Retreat Center, activities, and a service project. Please register before April 15!

Metropolitan Silouan of Buenos Aires and all Argentina, Patriarchal Vicar for our Archdiocese of North America, will visit the Diocese of Wichita on Bright Wednesday, April 23rd, the patronal feast day of our Diocesan Cathedral of St. George in Wichita, Kansas. The main purpose of His Eminence's visit is to get to know our Diocese by meeting and chatting with many folks from throughout DOWAMA, therefore all DOWAMA clergy and laity are cordially invited to be present at the Cathedral for his visit. His Eminence also plans to bless our newly-acquired St. Silouan Monastery House (named for his own patron saint) on that occasion. Details about that visit will be added as they become available.

All priests and deacons are invited to concelebrate at the divine services (WHITE vestments, please).

To be good hosts for you, we ask that you inform us of the approximate number who will be coming from your community with an RSVP before Great and Holy Thursday (April 17th) either to the Cathedral Office (gina@stgeorgecathedral.net) or Gayle Malone (dgjmmalone@gmail.com). Thank you!

Washington D.C. - At an elaborate ceremony on February 5, 2014 at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA) National Leadership Forum held at Maryland's National Harbor Gaylord Convention Center, the Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth (OCCHY) was awarded a Graduate Certificate of Completion from the CADCA National Coalition Academy. OCCHY was among 87 graduating coalitions from across the U.S. to achieve this certification.

OCCHY-Chicago was represented by Chicago Coalition Coordinator Gordana Trbuhovich of the Serbian Orthodox New Gracanica-Midwestern Diocese, and Board Chairman Harold A. Peponis of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. The two received the graduation award from CADCA Chairman and CEO Major General Retired Arthur T. Dean, and Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

His Grace Bishop Thomas, Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic, announces:

His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, who is serving as our Patriarchal Vicar, has expressed a desire to meet with as many of our Antiochian clergy and laity as possible. This weekend there will be two opportunities to do so in the Western Pennsylvania area.

Friday – Akathist: On Friday evening, April 4, His Eminence will be with us for the Akathist Service at Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel at the Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center. The service begins at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a gathering to meet with His Eminence.

One of the things dearest to Metropolitan Philip's heart was the care of his clergy and their wives during the winter years of their lives so that they could live with dignity. In light of that, he wanted memorial donations to be given to the Clergy Retirement Fund of the Archdiocese. Donations received through this simple and secure online donation form will go to benefit the Fund.

Our thanks to the team at AntiochianEvents.org for preparing this resource.

See this page for all details regarding this week's memorial services for Metropolitan Philip. Recent updates include details on all events at Antiochian Village, as well as a highly-recommended parking information sheet for all those planning on attending weekend memorial services at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, March 29, the Divine Liturgy and Funeral Services for Metropolitan Philip will be broadcast by Noursat/Tele Lumiere from St. Nicholas Cathedral. Online video-streaming details are being finalized.

Noursat | Tele Lumiere, Christian television for Lebanon and the Middle East, will broadcast the Saturday March 29 Memorial Services for His Eminence Metropolitan Philip, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, with the Divine Liturgy followed by the funeral.

More details about media coverage of next week's events will be announced once they are finalized.

In honor of Metropolitan Philip Saliba, Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen will present a special live tribute program. Kevin will be joined by Father Wayne Wilson, an ex-bishop of the "Evangelical Orthodox Church" and now Antiochian priest, and Father Thomas Zain (Vicar-General of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America), for a discussion of the life and legacy of the beloved Metropolitan. Listen live on Sunday, March 23 at 5:00 pm Pacific/6:00 pm Mountain/7:00 pm Central/8:00 pm Eastern. Listen live by pointing your internet browser to www.ancientfaith.com and clicking on the "talk" button.

As we continue to mourn the loss of Metropolitan Philip, your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of the newly-departed servant of God, the beloved Archpriest Alexander Atty. The V. Rev. Fr. Alexander, former Dean of St. Tikhon's Seminary and before that priest at St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY, fell asleep in the Lord early Sunday morning March 23. May his memory be eternal! Read this tribute to Fr. Alexander.

“Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5)

With a heart grateful to our Lord and to your very beloved pastor who gave me the opportunity to come to know you during the last three years, I present to you my heartfelt condolences for the falling asleep in Christ of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip. We all pray together for the rest in peace of his soul and that his memory be eternal.

I am very surprised that the Lord's Providence permitted that I may serve you under such a painful and difficult circumstance, i.e. the loss of your beloved pastor, until a new Metropolitan be elected for your God-protected Archdiocese. Indeed, my appointment as Patriarchal Vicar, by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, is an obedience of love and an opportunity to serve your church, and to preserve your bond of love, peace, service and unity in Christ.

May our Lord bless all of us in this period of great lent, as we are heading to His Holy Passion in order to share His glorious Resurrection.

Memory Eternal! It is with great sadness that the Archdiocese learns that Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch, died Friday aged 81 after 34 years as head of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

On Friday night, the general secretariat of the Holy Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch issued a statement saying:

"In this time of mourning and grief, the general secretariat of the Holy Synod declares that the time of the funeral will be appointed later when the procedures of transfer of his saintly body from Germany to Lebanon and then to Syria, are completed. We commend that this coming Sunday, 23 March 2014, be consecrated to offer prayers and celebrate the Divine Liturgy for the peaceful rest of his pure soul and we will announce the procedures and dates of the funeral, burial and condolences when ready."

In December, St. Joseph in Houston sponsored a benefit concert, "Hope, Humanity, Healing," which raised $18,000.00. The proceeds were distributed to the suffering Syrian people through the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America's Sister Diocese of Bosra-Hauran, Jabal al-Arab, and the Golan in southern Syria, as well as through the St. Gregory Orthodox Society for the Elderly and Orphans in Damascus. In the interview, Fr. Joseph soberly notes that "...the Christian presence in southern Syria has diminished, the charitable support of refugees continues; those who remain live in danger every moment. It will take heroic hard work to rebuild – the land and the people – once this war comes to an end." Read the full text of the interview

A recently published anthology, The Orthodox Church in the Arab World 700-1700: An Anthology of Sources, is a comprehensive introduction to the first millennium of Arabic-speaking Orthodoxy accessible to English speakers. Published by the Northern Illinois University Press, the book is the work of two Orthodox scholars, Samuel Noble, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at Yale University, and Alexander Treiger, associate professor in the Department of Classics and Program in Religious Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Noble explains that "...in the Western historiography of Christianity, the Arab Christian Middle East is treated only peripherally, if at all." A sample of the book's contents includes: An 8th century Apology for the Christian Faith; a work by Theodore Abu Qurra on discerning the true religion; a disputation of the monk Abraham of Tiberias with the Muslims; lives of little-known saints and martyrs; the world history of Agapios; the devotional poetry of Sulayman al-Ghazzi; the mystical treatise the Noetic Paradise; a treatise on the priesthood by Agathon of Homs; the Letter to a Muslim Friend by Paul of Antioch; the unpublished notebook and diplomatic correspondence of the Patriarch Macarius; and Paul of Aleppo’s travel account that sheds light on the history of the Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire, Southeastern Europe, and Russia.

BROOKLINE, MA—As a feature of the Costas Consultation in Global Mission series, Bishop Elia Toumeh of Wadi Al Nassara will give the 7 p.m. Keynote Address as part of the all-day event "Christians in Syria at the Crossroads," Friday, March 28, 1 p.m.–8:30 p.m. His Grace is a professor at the University of Balamand, Lebanon, and he will speak in the Maliotis Center at Hellenic College Holy Cross.

The event also features Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou (Harvard University; former Vice Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom), the presentation of student papers, and the film "Displaced in their Homeland" about Christians in Iraq, produced by Fady Mekhaeel. The 2014 BTI Costas Consultation in Global Mission is presented by the International Mission & Ecumenism Committee of the Boston Theological Institute in partnership with Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.